


Cuddles

by happyeverafter72



Series: Episodes of a Life Together [9]
Category: Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV), Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: Bullying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:20:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26500006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happyeverafter72/pseuds/happyeverafter72
Summary: 5 times Sherlock Holmes has been cuddled.
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes/Victor Trevor
Series: Episodes of a Life Together [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1926553
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	Cuddles

1\. Sherlock Holmes received very little affection from his mother during his childhood. He was largely raised by a nanny and a governess. Then, in the August preceding his 8th birthday, his father told him he was to go to boarding school. 

“You will go to the same school as Mycroft,” his father said. 

“But why must I go, father?” 

“Because school will make you grow up, Sherlock,” father replied. 

There was nothing more to be said. He had to go. 

When the day came in September, the atmosphere in the house was strange. Mycroft, who was used to it, clearly wanted to get going. Sherlock was far more reticent. He lingered in his bedroom, rearranging his things countless times. 

A soft knock at the door heralded the arrival of his mother. She sat down on the bed and reached for him. “You must calm down, my dear boy.” 

“I am... frightened, mother,” he admitted. 

She took him on her lap and held him tightly. “I know you are,” she soothed him. “But I also know that you love to learn. You will learn so much at school.” She pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Make us proud, Sherlock.” 

In the carriage, sitting across from his brother, he imagined her arms around him still. He imagined that she had told him she loved him. 

2\. Sherlock had not realised all that the phrase ‘school will make you grow up’ meant when his father said it to him. Now, with taunts and shouting ringing in his ears, he understood. All the noise and emotion had overwhelmed him, so he had fled to his dormitory and locked the door. He lay on the bed, sobbing into the pillow, when there was a knock at the door. 

“Sherlock,” his brother called, “let me in.” 

He stood on shaky legs and went to the door. “Are you alone?” 

“Yes.” 

He unlocked the door and stood aside. 

Mycroft looked his little brother over, taking in his tear-blotched face and the tension in his shoulders and arms. He had intended to be cross, but that evaporated in an instant and he held out his arms to his brother instead. 

“Oh, Sherlock,” he said. “Come here.” 

Sherlock sank against Mycroft, who held him tightly. He started to cry again, his tears soaking into Mycroft’s shirt. Mycroft rubbed his back, soothing him until his tears had run their course. 

“What happened, Sherlock?” 

“They all hate me, Mycroft,” he mumbled. “They were all jeering at me. It was horrible.” 

“What did they say to you?” Mycroft asked gently. 

“They called me...,” Sherlock gulped, “queer.” 

“Did they?” Mycroft’s voice held a hint of ice as he tightened his arms protectively around his brother. 

“Why are they so cruel, Mycroft?” 

Mycroft sighed. “Because you are different, brother mine. In their narrow worlds, that is not allowed.” 

“What do you think I should do?” Sherlock asked. 

“Learn to box.” 

Sherlock laughed. “But father always says -” 

“Oh, blow father! We need to look after ourselves here.” 

“Thank you, Mycroft,” Sherlock said after a moment. “I feel much better now.” 

After a last squeeze, they parted. 

3\. The first time Holmes fell in love was in his college years. Victor Trevor was the best friend he had ever had. He was utterly enraptured. 

It was a romance conducted in secretive kisses in hidden alcoves and evenings spent together in the privacy of their rooms. It was a magical, ephemeral thing. 

One evening, they were lying in each other’s arms in Holmes’ room, when Holmes let out a contented sigh. “Victor?” 

“Hm?” 

“This is lovely.” He somehow couldn’t bring himself to say the other three little words. 

4\. “Mycroft, I simply have to talk to someone, or I shall burst,” Holmes declared, striding into his brother’s room at the Diogenes Club. 

Mycroft looked up. “Oh, do come in, Sherlock,” he said dryly. 

Holmes ignored the comment. “I want to talk to you about Dr Watson. What do you think of him?” 

Mycroft shrugged. “He seems bright and eager. Why?” 

Holmes huffed agitatedly. “You are far too meagre in your assessment. He is intelligent, fiercely loyal, funny, and has a seemingly infinite capacity to forgive, which I certainly do not deserve.” 

“Ah. I see.” Mycroft patted the place on the settee beside him. “Come and sit beside me.” 

Holmes moved across. Mycroft eyed him seriously. 

After letting out a sigh, Mycroft said, “Don’t get yourself hurt this time, Sherlock.” He held out his arms so that his brother could lean against him, then folded his arms around the thin frame. 

“This is very different to how it was with Victor,” Holmes said. “I promise.” 

“Good. I worry about you, brother mine.” 

5\. It had been a perfect anniversary. Holmes and Watson lay tangled together in the afterglow of their lovemaking, sharing soft kisses. Holmes rested his head against Watson’s good shoulder, while Watson’s fingers roamed over his back. 

Both were beginning to drift into sleep when Holmes murmured, “John?” 

“Hm?” 

“I love you, more than anything.” 

Watson smiled softly down at his husband. “I love you too, Sherlock.


End file.
